Sunday, February 27, 2011

end this sequence of entries with the same name with the number 10 in the absence of a week to Barcelona. Next weeks we will know how the training worked.

This week began with a lot of concern on my part because of knee pain and had returned to visit on Sunday, so I decided to rest Monday and Tuesday. Therefore I could not finish the training as planned. In the last three weeks have turned down the volume and intensity of training that was scheduled. On the one hand by the knee, and partly because I struggled to recover from the half marathon of Orihuela.

The final week has been more hopeful because of knee pain has not appeared and because I am already recovered and more comfortable workout. This penultimate week has been as follows:

Friday, February 25, 2011

In the complicated relocation of this blog, after the vicissitudes suffered, trying to get back to normal again widening the spectrum of topics, with the beginnings of movies.

are several organizational structures that are given to films, from the known

Principle / Knot / Outcome

to more elaborate, as

Start / Presentation / Development / Climax / Final

but in any case it is true that the beginning, the start of a story is vital to catch the viewer.

never be a safe for a good movie, even the opposite, but he certainly would help to hook up with what you are expecting.

I do a quick review of memory and startups that have impacted me most, even though many once I stop in the film "Blue Velvet (Blue Velvet) that David Lynch directed in 1986.

I think initially as disruptive as bright, immaculate and carefully measured so that it is almost impossible not to be hypnotized on their networks of tranquility and squalor.

also complies fully with what is proposed, not is another thing that predispose the viewer to what is going to see, steeped in the spirit necessary to stand up to this unhealthy and dark history framed in the idyllic setting for a town like Lumberton.

also agrees that in this case one would expect, the start of the film can be found in YouTube, so I avoid the hassle of uploading I (which by others, at least for now, no intended to do).

lasts two and a half minutes:

is not discuss here the credits start and yes, I say, ribbon, but does not confront this most exquisite typography on blue background that gives title to the work itself, to give as much care how they are all formal aspects of it.

And the blue sky, exactly, the film starts with a drop camera at the peaceful and friendly corner of a remote village in the U.S..

The first detail where we stop is a small garden of red roses ...

Delving into that line of "nothing ever happens here," here is everything under control "we see the warm slow ride a fire truck around the neighborhood, with the friendly firefighter health directly, accompanied as it could not be less than a Dalmatian.

The third plane of the film back onto the gardens, in this case yellow tulips on the typical American houses, all alike, sharing the peace and quiet.

a scene, also camera slowly, as if we catch these moments of perfection, where we see some children crossing a zebra crossing under the watchful eye and supervision of an older woman.

Nothing disturbs us.

No noise, no cars running, no children to leave the row.

Although not leave, however, be something disturbing in such harmony.

Gradually we focus, we get into the story.

see the facade of a house, just that typical American home that we have seen before at the gardens.

Somehow, without knowing it, we know that is the place where action begins.

And we get closer to the house, what happens in it, and observe a quiet man who waters his plants.

As we understand as the inside of the house, we can see that we recognize as the wife of the man who waters the garden, sitting quietly, drinking tea and watching it seems that is television.

This will be the first turning point of change to the disturbing sense.

see on television threatening a hand carrying a gun.

deserves reflection that is an artificial element / unreal-television-that give us that change of direction, where previously unseen reality "supposedly" is beautiful, but not fiction.

In any case the threat becomes real, then outside in the garden, the man (Mr. Beaumont) suffer a heart attack.

The story of the same is impeccable, as Lynch draws a parallel (not by obvious longer elegant) between the rubber / artery that becomes a knot, preventing irrigation and causing a stroke.

the sequence of shots you can see here:

This shot of the scene is also very interesting because, with ever-tightening plans, we will observe how the family dog \u200b\u200bon the victim and not so much to help themselves to playing / drinking water is freed from the rubber.

At first, in general terms, we see the figure of a young child (also a little disturbing: what does, where it goes?) that could represent the purest part of us who do not understand what happens, you can not avoid what happens, does not involve either through ignorance or bewilderment, that is just part of a pre decorated but not intervening.

contrast the attitude of the dog, a reaction that could easily qualify as more animal, and is not to aid his master, but in a game face irrational but full of meaning to the water from the rubber.

Gradually, also the planes are closing and we focus precisely on that animal reaction, it disregards the tragedy and to other elements derived from more intense, more worldly.

That game with the water, do not forget that the blood remains "also gives us the reaction of the protagonists have to face up to history.

And after what happened, we are ready to usher in all that lies below.

Behind the facade of calm and kindness, we have descended to earth, but our journey is not is going to stay there.

And Lynch makes it very clear we left the clean grass where it lies Mr Beaumont and entering it, digging the earth and penetrating as far as we are banned, what is hidden, it is never shown.

And what we see is not pretty. Earth and insects

fighting and mixed together are the perfect counterpoint to the idyllic pictures of roses and tulips.

Although every part of the same.

macro lens and overwhelming us into the background, at the base, as yet rots builds everything up.

And that is the journey of the film. This scenario

is also where the main character, Jeffrey, the son of Mr. Beaumont, find an ear that will act as a trigger for the whole story.

After introducing us to the most sordid, most overwhelming, most rotten, the last plane change is radical.

note the welcome sign to the town of Lumberton.

is because this has been a prologue.

has been a way of telling the film, predispose us to what will occur from now.

With this Welcome to Lumberton (and our spirits mixture of bewilderment and distress) the story really begins.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

After the best week, last, or at least the best in terms of happiness, has been the worst week of what I have to prepare for Barcelona. So far every week had been with positive feelings I felt better than ever, but this has not happened. I do not train any day without pain somewhere, especially knees. I suppose it's due to wear last Sunday and I think I will recover gradually.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

is this: That which we call visual narrative cinema builds all his speech through a simple fact such as story telling. Storytelling

.

And almost always, the vehicle chosen, the principal-to send us these stories are the characters.

The importance of character in the narrative is unquestionable.

From my point of view, from all creative disciplines, the world of comics is the one that revolves around the figure of a character (hence its construction is of vital importance) but the film-much more versatile, much more dispersed, do not walk behind, almost at the level of the novel.

So if we want to make credible a story, if we want the viewer to enter into it, if we want-or need-a common thread that binds all these detailed junction and parts of the movie drinks, / the characters are presented as essential in this task.

And with them the characters, of course, that represent them.

Building a good character is both challenging and enjoyable. And the elements we have at our disposal to do this are many and varied.

The fascination that the viewer can find for a character is as diverse as cinema itself, but certain features, which are not flat, which evolve as the story unfolds, with contradictions and sharp-help.

The dialogues will serve, but sometimes a glance, a gesture, an expression can give us the extent and depth of a particular character.

Something that happens in this scene of only six planes, where in a master build the complex, fascinating and disturbing personality of a character like Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, played impeccably by Steve Buscemi .

The scene is part of the HBO television " Boardwalk Empire," which has now completed its first season, and about the life in Atlantic City at the time of Prohibition, also known because the first episode was filmed by Martin Scorsese .

do not include the scene on video, but we will dissect more images to get a better idea of \u200b\u200bhow passes.

This period coincides with the fair end of the third episode of the first season (49:30 minutes) and how to tell is divided into six levels:

MAP 1:

We see a slight angle shot the scene where they will develop the scene: the luxurious lobby of a hotel.

We will not insist, but as always at the forefront of a sequence serves to place the viewer in the physical space where it is to develop the story.

The plane continues when we see that the hotel doorman opens the door to a character, our character, who goes inside. We appreciate that is outside raining hard.

The character-still too remote to be recognized, this luxurious lobby crosses through the center, sober but confident.

contrapicado The use of light in the angle has two reasons: firstly, it gives us a certain majesty to the scene and the character, but to understand what the second reason for its use, we still have to wait a bit.

MAP 2:

This is a tracking shot the protagonist, from his back, which also is informative, it indicates that is directed toward the elevator.

We still see his face (two levels without knowing it gives a certain air of mystery to the character) but we move with it. Somehow we're not sure who he is but to be drawn into it, we do not know what his face but we pursue it, without reaching ever.

MAP 3: Plane

three is very curious, since the latter refers to through rapid and almost invisible cast.

Actually this follows the first plane, and will be finally gives us a clear reference to the character in question: Nucky Thompson.

This recognition of the character is going to last long, because as you go is introduced into the shadows (the elevator) and lose visibility of your face.

are telling us something here about the nuances, folds and ambiguous character's personality: sober, introspective, contradictory and quite elusive.

In this last moment of this third plane, and just before linking with the room, his face in shadow of Nucky occupies almost the whole screen (it is inside the elevator and cap stage), precisely to give way to next shot we see his face is turned toward the hall.

MAP 4:

level is key to the scene, which more and more curious and will give us the same. Connected

His expression to what many see mixture almost imperceptible feelings: sadness, surprise, disappointment, depression, boredom or pain.

His eyes look down and further corroborate the above.

MAP 5:

At this level we can complete the puzzle, understand what they have told us so far, see what Nucky sees Nucky feel what you feel, and he understood, at least in part, the complexity of his thought.

And in turn helps us to understand the use of contrapicado in the foreground.

What Nucky see are the footprints of their shoes wet and muddy water in the luxurious, clean and spotless hotel lobby that welcomes it.

Nucky sees everything he has left behind .

obvious but is a perfect metaphor for everything that had to do to get where it is today, of all the sordid and dirty you had to do to be where it is. That

not happy or proud, but conscious.

know that you know, and you do not like. And

seen in the distance, from a physical and emotional distance, which makes also understand that already gone way back, and he will do nothing to erase those tracks, clean up the sordid, to repent.

So on that level, we see how the goalkeeper occupies the entire screen to close the elevator (to close with the past, not to see in order to clean it).

MAP 6: Continued

plane 5 and the same frame that 4, we see how the elevator finishes closing the elevator, locking an impassive Nucky keeps looking at his past, undaunted, with all the kinks so we can add to that term loaded with anything but pride.

And the lift is closed.

And the past is erased.

And the episode ends.

And so, with a trivial action principle we have built a complex character, sad, elusive, given contradictory and fascinating.

Much remains for us to know about it, let us continue to count.

PD

Besides the main characters, the world of the narrative is full of luxury side often bring more interest than the protagonists themselves.

I do not know if we could keep this in Boardwalk Empire, since its hero is undoubtedly a major role, but it is supported by some characters, too, perfectly constructed and designed to bring a lot of history to life.

Among my favorites, that cop is unhealthy Nelson Van Alden (is supposed to be good?) And a character full of mystery, past and unknowns as Richard Harrow.